Soy Paste Dehydration Device Using Vacuum Screw Conveyor
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Solution Overview
Problem
The soy paste byproduct from soy drink production has high humidity, leading to rapid putrefaction and disposal challenges, resulting in economic losses and environmental issues due to its high microbiologic activity and limited nutritional utilization.
Innovation Solution
A dehydration device with a main endless screw conveyor and six passage regions for sequential heating, compression, and evaporation under vacuum, optimizing the dehydration process to achieve a minimal shelf life of 1 year for soy paste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soy paste is stored with high water content, then it maintains nutritional value and texture, but it undergoes rapid putrefaction and has limited shelf life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by controlling the water activity (aw) to specific ranges (0.60-0.75 for semi-dry, 0.20-0.40 for dry products) and maintaining temperature between -18°C to 5°C to prevent microbiologic activity while preserving nutritional and textural qualities of soy paste
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions through freezing (temperature ≤ -18°C) to create stable semi-dry and dry products, where water transitions from liquid to solid state, effectively preventing microbial growth and extending shelf life while maintaining product quality
2Reliability
If soy paste is dried to extend shelf life, then microbiologic activity is reduced, but nutritional value and textural quality may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes water activity parameters to specific ranges (0.60-0.75 for semi-dry, 0.20-0.40 for dry) that balance shelf life extension with preservation of nutritional content (protein, fiber, isoflavones) and textural quality, avoiding over-drying that would compromise product value
3Object-affected harmful factors
If soy paste is incorporated in other products immediately, then putrefaction is avoided, but disposal cost remains and utilization is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing soy paste into stable semi-dry and dry forms with controlled water activity and temperature, enabling long-term storage without immediate incorporation into other products, thus eliminating disposal costs and expanding utilization options
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively reduces the water content of soy paste, enhancing its shelf life and nutritional value, while minimizing microbiologic activity and environmental impact, allowing for its safe storage and utilization in animal or human feeding products.
Implementation Method 1
a first passage region between the intake of the soy paste and the downstream end of a first heating resistance (6)... a second passage region, where the soy paste is subjected to a first compression with heating, between the heating resistance (6) and the heating resistance (7)
Implementation Method 2
a third passage region, where the soy paste is subjected to evaporation under vacuum, by means of an evaporator, between the heating resistance (7) and the heating resistance (8)
Implementation Method 3
a second passage region, where the soy paste is subjected to a first compression with heating, between the heating resistance (6) and the heating resistance (7)
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention refers to a soy paste dehydration device and to the respective dehydration process, the dehydration device comprising a main body and a feeder, it being mounted in said main body a main endless screw conveyor (50), a driving electric motor, a gear box for driving of said screw conveyor (50), said screw conveyor (50) being arranged in the interior of the main body, and along said conveyor (50) being defined passage regions of the soy paste, bounded by the heating resistances (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 12) and by the extrusion head (25), said dehydration process of the soy paste being performed along said regions.